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Prior to September 11th 2001, I didn’t really anticipate living through historical events that would be as world changing as the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy or the Vietnam War. That may have been my youthful naivete speaking. Ten years after the devastating attacks, I recognize that faithful day was but one of many watershed moments to happen before my eyes. As we prepare to mark this milestone anniversary, I started thinking of the world-shaping events to transpire since I made my arrival on this planet. Please add to the list!

-The transition from typewriters/word-processors to computers: While many people had desktops during my childhood, they were far from an ‘every home has one’ sort of thing. I did most of my book reports by hand.

-The explosion of the internet: Speaking of those book reports, who else remembers having to do ALL of their research from a library? Or from the usually-dated encyclopedias at school. It is crazy to realize how quickly the entire concept of an encyclopedia became a thing of the past. It’s also crazy how far the web has taken us. I’m typing this on my laptop n a car.

-The creation and repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’: While it was a source of much contention in it’s final days, DADT may very well go down as a necessary evil for allowing gays to serve in the US Military. Because this country really isn’t known for doing progressive things without taking baby steps, you know?

-The Columbine tragedy: The 1999 massacre wasn’t the first school shooting, but it was the worst to date and the first to play out on live television.

-The shift from tangible to digital music: I grew up purchasing cassette tapes, y’all. Tapes. I had Jay-Z’s first album on one (yes, CDs existed, but tapes were still hanging in there). CDs took a longer time to take over, largely because they were difficult to transport and were not recordable. And now they, too, have gone the way of the 8-track.

What did I miss Clutch fam? What major, life changing events and innovations have you witnessed?